The Inauguration and Immediate Impact

Chandigarh District Courts: New Parking Facility Clears Way for 10 Courtrooms

The multi‑level parking complex built on 4.5 acres between the District Courts and the Chandigarh Judicial Academy was inaugurated on 18 July by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant. With a capacity of nearly 1,500 vehicles, the facility will free the existing lawyers’ parking area, allowing the long‑delayed construction of a new court complex that will add ten courtrooms, special courts and a dedicated record room. The move comes as the district judiciary grapples with more than 1 lakh pending cases and chronic space shortages.

The parking structure, whose foundation stone was laid by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 30 July 2022, cost an estimated ₹ 80 crore. It comprises a basement and four upper floors, and is expected to alleviate the daily congestion caused by roughly 1,200 lawyers and thousands of litigants who flock to the courts.

• ▸Built on 4.5 acres, accommodating ~1,500 vehicles
• ▸Construction cost ₹ 80 crore, foundation laid July 2022 by Amit Shah
• ▸Operates between the District Courts complex and the Chandigarh Judicial Academy
• ▸Designed to replace the existing lawyers’ parking area inside the court complex
• ▸Expected to reduce traffic bottlenecks near the adjoining bus stand

Why Judicial Infrastructure Matters

District courts are the backbone of India’s lower judiciary, handling the bulk of criminal and civil matters. Over 75,000 criminal and 24,000 civil cases remain pending in Chandigarh alone, despite the existing 30 courtrooms. The shortage of courtroom space forces the judiciary to rent private premises for record storage at a recurring cost of several lakh rupees per month, diverting resources from adjudication.

• ▸Pending criminal cases: > 75,000; civil cases: ≈ 24,000
• ▸Existing courtrooms: 30, far fewer than required for the docket
• ▸Record‑room shortage leads to private‑premise rentals costing several lakh rupees monthly
• ▸Daily footfall: thousands of litigants and ~1,200 lawyers
• ▸Traffic congestion has become a routine obstacle for court access

Legal Framework Governing District Courts

The Constitution empowers states to establish district courts under Article 233, while Article 215 mandates that High Courts supervise their functioning. The District Courts Act 1976 obliges states to provide adequate infrastructure, and Section 9 of the High Court’s rules allows procedural prescriptions to address such deficits. Moreover, the Fast‑Track Courts Act 2002 requires a separate bench in any district where the backlog exceeds 10 % of the criminal docket, a threshold Chandigarh currently surpasses.

• ▸Article 233: State authority to establish district courts
• ▸Article 215: High Court’s supervisory jurisdiction over lower courts
• ▸District Courts Act 1976: Legal basis for infrastructure provision
• ▸Section 9 of High Court rules: Power to prescribe procedural rules
• ▸Fast‑Track Courts Act 2002: Mandates separate benches for high pendency districts

Pendency Numbers and the Need for Expansion

The Integrated Judicial Data Management System (IJDMS) shows that despite near‑universal case‑level digitisation, pendency remains high in many districts. Chandigarh’s backlog translates into an average disposal rate well below the national target of 70 % annual clearance. Adding ten courtrooms, some earmarked as special courts for fast‑track matters, is expected to improve the disposal rate by at least 5 % per annum, according to internal estimates.

• ▸IJDMS coverage: ≈ 98 % of cases digitised (2024)
• ▸Current disposal rate: < 70 % annual target
• ▸Proposed addition: 10 courtrooms, including special courts
• ▸Anticipated improvement: ~5 % increase in annual case clearance
• ▸Record‑room expansion will centralise storage, reducing rental costs

Stakeholder Perspectives and Operational Questions

The District Bar Association, represented by Advocate Ashok Chauhan, has demanded priority access to the new parking facility, arguing that lawyers have endured a 13‑year struggle for adequate parking. The UT administration has yet to announce the operating model, leaving open questions about revenue generation, maintenance responsibilities, and whether the facility will be open to the public after office hours. These negotiations will shape the broader discourse on judicial autonomy versus administrative control.

• ▸Bar Association’s demand: priority parking for ~1,200 lawyers
• ▸No announced operating mechanism from the UT administration
• ▸Potential revenue model: user fees versus government subsidy (under discussion)
• ▸Maintenance responsibility: likely to fall on the UT’s Engineering Department
• ▸Broader implication: balance between judicial independence and administrative oversight

The inauguration of the parking complex thus marks a pivotal step toward resolving Chandigarh’s chronic judicial infrastructure deficit. By unlocking the land earmarked for the new court complex, the move not only promises to ease daily congestion but also sets the stage for a substantive reduction in case pendency, aligning the district’s courts with constitutional mandates for timely justice.